Am I still a teenager caught in an adult's body? An update.

Every now and then I like to peruse old blog posts for inspiration, slash I enjoy a walk down memory lane every once and a while [except when memory lane involves mushy posts about your ex and then it's like whaaaaat, that's awkward].

The following post was originally written on December 2, 2009, during the era of my life I like to refer to as "the dark ages" AKA post-grad unemployment.

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Sometimes I find myself wondering if I am 22 or 15. Did I miss out on something significant in those formative years that has caused this regression? Here are some glaring signals that lead me to believe that I am an angsty teenager caught in an adult's body:

1. My tendency to obsess over celebrities and form severe crushes on them. For example: when I lived in L.A. in the summer of 2007, I spent many a day at my lowly intern desk concocting scenarios in my head that involved meeting and/or falling in love with the objects my infatuation. These scenarios included, but were not limited to, Patrick Dempsey, Orlando Bloom, and Michael Vartan. For latest celebrity love affair, see gorgeous picture below.


But hey, at least I'm not plastering pictures of him all over my walls and various other flat surfaces. Although, I have allowed for the occasional wallpaper on my computer...

2. While we're on the topic of Rob Pattinson: My complete and utter obsession with all things Twilight related. I was a latecomer to the book series, but once I sunk my teeth (no pun intended) into Twilight, I was finished with the first three books in three days. I impatiently awaited the arrival of Breaking Dawn, and a dear friend can attest that I took it in the car with me so that I was able to read it at stoplights and once even made her drive us somewhere in my car so that I could read. I got so wrapped up in the books that I began to relate things in my daily life to the trials and tribulations of the characters. Were these novels a source of literary excellence? Hell no. But where they entertaining as all get out? Hell yes! And of course, I wanted nothing more than to find a man as perfect as Edward Cullen. What's a little bite on the neck here and there? Things got worse with the debut of the first movie, which I saw five times in theatres. Was it the movie I actually liked, or the ethereal beauty of Rob Pattinson as Edward Cullen. Maybe both? At any rate, I can't stay away from magazines that have even the slightest mention of the Twilight series and I have started a personal vendetta against Kristen Stewart for both her portrayal of Bella and her supposed relationship with Rob. Sick.

3. I recently read every Gossip Girl novel. For those of you who don't keep up with the teen book scene, there are 13 books in the series. I read every.single.one.of.them. I don't know why I feel the need to justify my reading choices but I will do just that in the name of my pride. Before embarking on my 13-GG book rampage, I read two Pulitzer Prize winning novels. Therefore, I felt I was allowed some trashy reading. But who are we kidding? I would have read them anyway; my curiosity always gets the best of me. Like Twilight, these books will win no awards, but they are so full of chaos and scandal that I couldn't put them down. The lives of teenagers as portrayed by movies, TV, and books such as these is amazingly ridiculous and I refuse to believe that today's teens actually behave in such ways (though I'm probably just very naive). In GG's case, combine that ridiculousness with overwhelming amounts of money and you get a veritable freak show. Smoking and drinking from the time they were 15, putting $30,000 on daddy's credit card because you CAN, jetting off without telling parents...whoa. For approximately a week I lived vicariously through all these scenarios, even though I am well outside the target audience of readers. Oh wait...so maybe it's because of books like these that teens get the idea that this kind of behavior is kosher? Ok, cool.



4. I have stuffed animals on my bed. Oh and on some shelves. And there are tons more in the closet that I sometimes feel sorry for and feel as if I should display them somewhere. But wait a second, I'm too old for that. In my defense, three out of five of the animals on my bed are very old and have emotional significance. So...there.

(This is Mr. Bear. Holding to my theory, you can see that I am not very mature.)

Thankfully, I couldn't think of a number 5. I am thankful for this because if I had come up with one, I would have almost considered shipping myself off to a therapist for some psychoanalysis. So for now I will live with my four teen-like symptoms and hope that one day they will calm themselves down.

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So, am I still 22 26 going on 15?

 

...ehhh sort of?

 

Win: My love for R-Patz and all things Twilight has decreased significantly.  While I still think Rob is magnificently attractive, I question his personal hygiene and taste in women.

Lose: I still read YA novels. The Hunger Games, The Mortal Instruments...they're just too addictive. Don't worry, I still balance them out with more sophisticated titles.

Win: There are no longer five stuffed animals on my bed.

 

Lose: ...instead, there are two. The aforementioned Mr. Bear made the cut, as well as the Lamb Chop puppet I've had since I was 4. It's a good thing I have a boyfriend, otherwise the animals on the bed probably wouldn't be beneficial to my love life.

Verdict:

I may have graduated to 26 going on 17 or 18.

Hey, it keeps me young!

Toodles, 2012

What can I say, 2012 was...interesting.

I traveled...a lot.

I went to concerts...a lot.

I both cried and laughed...a lot.

There were endings and new beginnings in both my personal and professional life. 

Most of all, I think I finally learned to embrace the here and now and just live in the moment. A dear friend told me that we are in the prime of our lives, and we better damn well enjoy it. So enjoy it I did.

 THE TRAVELS

 

THE CONSTANT OPPORTUNITIES TO DRESS UP

CELEBRATING ENGAGEMENTS AND WEDDINGS

  

  

  

AND ALL THE OTHER GOOD TIMES IN BETWEEN

 

 

  

 

I think 2013 will be pretty kickass, as there's a lot to look forward to...

Another trip to Australia and about 500 weddings [all good friends, so I'm quite excited about these]. And maaaybe some big changes around here.

Whatever 2013 has in store, I'm ready!

Northern California

I love California.

I think that might be pretty clear.

From the ages of 8-16, I visited Southern California every summer to see family.

Northern California, however, was like a foreign land that I had never seen [except San Francisco once at the age of five...I don't exactly have a ton of memories from that trip].

Until...one spring break in college when I ventured a bit further north than usual.

P.S. Y'all are getting to see me back in my youngin' days.

Yosemite

Hearst Castle

The view from Hearst Castle.

Seal Beach? Or something of that general name.

Verdict: Northern California is gorgeous, too.

I'm convinced I was born to be a Californian.

California throwback

In honor of me being in California [land of which I like to pretend I'm from] this week, I thought I'd do some Cali themed posts.

First up, some pictures from the summer in college when I interned in L.A.

It was good times, y'all.

The Grove in Beverly Hills. This was the one and only time I went there, as being a poor intern kept me from high end shopping.

This barely appetizing looking meal is on here as a humble confession that this was the very first meal I ever cooked for myself. Yep, you heard it here first. Living in L.A. alone meant I had to finally fend for myself!

I almost cried upon seeing the Kodak Theatre, i.e. the place where the Oscars are held. Nerd.

It wouldn't be my blog if there wasn't some sort of picture of me eating food. So here you go. Pink's Hotdogs.

My friend, Aisha, came to visit me, so we did lots of California-like things. Case in point: playing in Malibu.

See, I've always been weird.

This is only here to show how tan I was. This is what happens when you only work three days a week and spend the rest of your days at the beach.

I feel like every little girl has dreamed of living here at some point. Some little girls more than others. Like me.

Fitting in with the crowd at Venice Beach. Present day me is seething over how tan and toned I look.

Trojan Fight! I almost went there for school, so I had to pay homage somehow.

Warning: if you meet a Z-list actor at a giant industry party thrown by your boss and he invites you and your friend to an after party for a concert, you may end up at this room in the Standard Hotel. And there might be drugs there. And you might leave promptly. Nothing good happens at 3 am.

Ah, well that was a fun trip down memory lane.